Maxx Crosby is back in Las Vegas, and the Raiders are trying to turn a week of chaos into a reset.
After the Raiders said the Baltimore Ravens backed out of their trade agreement for Crosby, reports Wednesday said Crosby returned to Las Vegas and was back at the team facility in Henderson to continue rehab.
Meanwhile, Baltimore moved on fast. The Ravens agreed to sign former Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, a pivot that fills the same need without costing first-round picks.
Raiders confirmed the collapse
The Raiders posted Tuesday night that the Ravens “have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby” and said the club would have no further comment.
The trade was never official because it could not be processed until the new league year, and reports tied the reversal to medical concerns during Crosby’s physical.
DeCosta: “Nobody is more upset about this than me”
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta addressed the blowback Wednesday and acknowledged how it looks from the outside.
“We live in that age of skepticism, and people question… I understand how people, maybe from afar, would feel that way,” DeCosta said. “But nobody is more upset about this than me. Gutted by it, actually.”
Crosby reposts agent: knee “ahead of schedule”
Crosby also sent his own signal on X. He reposted a message from agent CJ LaBoy saying Crosby’s recovery remains on track and is “ahead of schedule” according to surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, with a return expected during the offseason program.
That repost does not erase Baltimore’s decision. Still, it gives the Raiders a clean talking point as they work to steady the locker room.
Ravens pivot to Hendrickson and keep their picks
Baltimore’s answer came quickly. ESPN reported the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $112 million deal with Hendrickson that can reach $120 million with incentives.
It is a sharp contrast for Raiders fans watching from Vegas. The Ravens backed out of Crosby, then landed a marquee edge rusher anyway.
Mitchell Renz report adds heat, but it is not confirmed
Mitchell Renz, host of the “Raiders Report” on Chat Sports, said Wednesday night a source told him Crosby wants to be “a Raider for life” and does not want to be traded. Renz noted on his show that he is not an insider and framed it as information relayed to him by someone he considers credible. (His channel lists 220K subscribers.)
Renz also said the source described Crosby’s mindset after the deal collapsed with a line that will travel: “They woke up a new demon.”
Neither the Raiders nor Crosby has publicly confirmed those claims.
What it could mean for Las Vegas if Crosby is healthy
This is the fork in the road for the Raiders’ 2026 plan. If Crosby returns at full speed, the Raiders keep a game-wrecking defender while adding around him in a busy early free agency push.
That upside is real, but so is the pressure. The Raiders need Crosby’s health to match the brand, and they need the defense to look like a unit that can close games.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
